Re: [Gnu-arch-users] details is details, not punctuation

From:

Derek Carter

Subject:

Re: [Gnu-arch-users] details is details, not punctuation

Date:

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 00:35:48 -0600

User-agent:

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.6-1.1.fc4 (X11/20050720)

Thomas Lord wrote:

The issues at hand are bigger than me and bigger than the GNU Arch
project. The GNU Arch project appears to be firmly locked into
a post-mortem phase and the corresponding analysis is what is
going on.

I for one agree on this point, this is bigger than one person or one
project.
At least to me, as a relative newcomer to the FOSS world, I have tried
my best to 'live for the ideal'. Trying to be a 'volunteer' wherever my
skills have been needed. Unfortunately, my ideas are never of a scale of
what someone like Tom has been able to come up with. However whenever I
see one of these next-big-thing ideas crop up, I do what I can to help.
I have as a goal some (hopefully not too far into the future) day to be
able to create/maintain/head/supply some great new thing myself.

It's our responsibility as advocates of this paradigm of how to get
things done in the software world, to make sure that ALL PARTIES
INVOLVED get something (ideally everything they need) out of what we create.

I joined this list right during the glory days of GNU Arch. I was
impressed by the quality and quantity of new thinking I encountered. I
saw good things on the horizon. And even though I've been witness to the
death throes of tla, I've learned much from the last few months of
G-A-U. Borrowing from the book of "Learn from Others--Mistakes and
Genius Alike"

(now these observations may be old hat to some of you but bear with me.
also, this isn't an attack on any one individual, this is to explain the
usefulness of this so-called post mortem)

Number One:
The more against the norm or radical or 'out there' the idea the
higher the potential for something great to come out of it.
-- and the higher the climb the harder the fall. In other words:
"Be wary of success".
Number Two:
Enough cannot be said for focus. and dedication. Focus on the wrong
thing/component and one may let some important morsel slip past
unawares. One should also show a great deal of pride and dedication
to an FOSS project they've allied themselves with.
Number Three:
Good ideas come from all directions. Don't let the afore mentioned
pride of your project keep you from seeing what may be a better way
of accomplishing your goal. (As an instructor I learn this lesson over
and over again as new ways of doing things are presented to me by
different students)
Number Four:
Organization and communication are key. Having a 'pecking order' isn't
always a bad idea, it gives those elusive ideas a direction to travel.
However, keep in mind the previous point, an idea may come from
somewhere other than the 'approved' channel. Also be available for
those left field ideas. As a project manager one should be a
BENEVOLENT dictator, which listens to his followers.

I for one have made notes of these things which I plan to refer to if
I'm ever presented with the opportunity to be a BP in some bigger
open-source project in the future. I hope that these observations can
help you who consider these last few threads as "bothersome" or
"chest-pounding" or "blowing off steam" know that there is something to
be learned from everything.

As for obnoxiousness -- yeah, I can be a real bastard when push
comes to shove. Which it has.
-t

Tom, if one doesn't show emotion when it's their baby being put under
the microscope I don't think they deserve to have it as their baby. :)